


I’m With You

by darlingDesires



Category: Nomad of Nowhere (Web Series)
Genre: Bad Decisions, F/M, Good Decisions, Nightmares, all kinds of decisions, it’s rated mature for the possible prospects of descriptive violence and fights, nothing sexual dw, oh man this is getting sad, predictive dreams, prison break - Freeform, skout joins the nomad and they live life on the run, tags to be updated
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-04
Updated: 2018-08-02
Packaged: 2019-05-17 23:17:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,662
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14841090
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darlingDesires/pseuds/darlingDesires
Summary: The nomad peeled his eyelids from each other, blurry vision taking its sweet time to adjust to the dim lantern light being cast into his otherwise pitch-black cell. The light was coming from the door, which was… open?The voice repeated with more urgency, “Wake up, we gotta go!”





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> i’ve had this idea for a while? and by a while i mean about three days so enjoy

He flinched away as the pale hand belonging to the don reached towards him, grabbing the nomad by his chin and tilting his head up to make eye contact. His captor took a deep breath in through his nose for dramatic effect. “I can almost smell the honor and title El Rey will bestow upon my pretty head once I hand you over. Do you understand how important you are to  _ me _ and  _ my _ success?”

Despite his lack of any capacity for speech, Don Perigon paused as if awaiting a response. He didn’t seem surprised when none came, though a bit disappointed, and continued on with his monologue. “Thanks to the cleverness and wit of my Dandy Lions, I can become a governor, like I’ve always dreamed. I’ll bring you in to El Rey in due time, but while I have you...”

The don let go of the other’s chin, kicking him square in the chest and sending him to the floor, force of impact knocking the wind out of him. It would’ve been easier to break his fall if his hands weren’t securely roped together. As he tried to sit up, Don Perigon planted his boot firmly against the nomad’s chest, pushing him back down to the floor. The nomad struggled helplessly as the don’s sword was drawn from its sheath and pointed at his throat.

“You’re going to tell me how you can do magic.” The nomad furiously shook his head, desperately hoping he could get his message across. It was hard to try to explain much without the use of his arms, and he couldn’t even explain  _ that _ . The blade drifted to the side, flat part pressed purposely against the nomad’s cheek. He leaned away.

“Uh… mister Perigon?” Piped up a sweet Southern accent. “I don’t think he can—“

“Toth, control your spittoon girl,” Don Perigon ordered. He ground the sole of his boot into the nomad’s chest forcefully, and the nomad shut his eyes tight, wincing at the pain.

 

“Friend,” came a hushed whisper of a sweet Southern accent that seemed much more real than the one in his dream. “Wake up.”

The nomad peeled his eyelids from each other, blurry vision taking its sweet time to adjust to the dim lantern light being cast into his otherwise pitch-black cell. The light was coming from the door, which was… open?

The voice repeated with more urgency, “Wake up, we gotta go!”

As the nomad’s eyes finally fixed on a single figure, he found… Skout. He remembered that her name was Skout. And she was holding the cell door open for him.  _ Wasn’t she part of the Dandy Lions? If she’s here, then… _

The nomad shook his head slowly and intentionally, narrowing his eyes to supplement it. He’d be crossing his arms if he could move his hands apart from each other, but either way, if he was going to go out like this, he wouldn’t go easy.

“No?” Skout asked incredulously, speaking a bit louder than intended, quieting herself for the next sentence. “Whad’ya mean,  _ no _ ? They’re gonna take you to El Rey come mornin’!”

The nomad kept his gaze where it was, though things began to make less and less sense as Skout explained more and more. It took Skout a moment before she found the discrepancy, internally facepalming for not being clear enough.

”No-- no, friend, you got it wrong, I’m not takin’ you to Don Perigon or El Rey or whatever, I’m breakin’ you out ‘fore  _ they _ take you!” She said, leaning back to survey the empty hall. Just in case. The nomad just stared, and when Skout looked back, she frowned. “You can trust me, I promise.”

The nomad thought back to their interactions. She’d been enthusiastic about capturing him, but it didn’t seem like she wanted to see him hurt, so she… could probably be trusted, right? Sure. The nomad didn’t really have a lot of options right then, so he was up on his feet before another breath could be drawn, thinking,  _ what’s the worst that can happen? _

“Al _ right _ ,” Skout cheered, grabbing a knife from her over-the-shoulder satchel. The nomad flinched as she approached enthusiastically, but he stayed, and let her cut the ropes binding his hands together. He rejoiced in the restored blood flow to his hands as he reached up to re-secure the bandana around the lower half of his face.

Almost as soon as his hand was free, Skout grabbed it, whispering, “Let’s get you on outta here, friend!”

And they ran, doing their best to pad their footsteps and keep quiet as they became increasingly more lucky--there weren’t many guards, but the ones that were there were easy enough to get by. It was almost surreal, how smoothly the escape was going. The nomad wondered if it was another dream.

They made their way to the outer walls of the Oasis, and Skout put on a bright smile. “Well… this is the part where I tell ya ‘bye and wish you the best of luck.”

The nomad took her hand in his.

“Huh? Friend, I gotta get back to my quarters ‘fore anyone notices I’m missin’,” Skout explained, but the nomad kept his hand in hers, shaking his head. She cocked her head to the side in confusion.

The nomad let go of her hand, thinking, looking around. He snapped his fingers and leaned down, clapping twice so that a pair of eyes opened up on a small rock. He pointed to Skout, then at the rock.

“...I’m the rock?” Skout asked curiously. The nomad nodded, pointing back to the palace, then to himself. “And you’re them. Oh, are you doing a skit?”

Instead of responding, the nomad looked at the rock, shaking a finger, then opening and closing his hand as if it were a mouth. The rock looked down sadly, and it clicked for Skout.

“Oh. You’re sayin’ they don’t treat me too kindly,” Skout mumbled. The nomad let the rock hop up onto his hand and sat it on his shoulder, nodding softly. Skout looked up at the palace, then back at her friend. She laughed. “Well, I wouldn’t expect them to, I mean, I only just ‘came part of it all two months ago. Plus, I’m just a—“

She stopped talking when the nomad held out a palm, looking at her with… from what she could tell, worry and concern. He pointed deliberately at the palace, then at Skout, and gave a thumbs down.

Skout breathed in, and out, smiling and spending a moment too long in silence before she spoke again. “They ain’t bad, friend, I’m sure they’re well-meaning.”

The nomad narrowed his eyes, letting his head fall slightly to show his disbelief. Skout gave a soft laugh as the nomad took her hand again.

“I can’t,” she whispered, looking down. “It’s mighty kind of ya, but…”

The nomad leaned down so he was in Skout’s field of view. He put a hand near his chest, hovered it over hers, and swung it around so it gestures towards the gate—the last thing they needed to cross to be free from the city.

Skout’s eyes followed his hand and stayed on the gate. Don Perigon, the Dandy Lions, and everyone else she worked with weren’t the nicest people, but she’d be a fool to leave such a wonderful position without a word. They could change, right? Everybody can change.

The nomad drew her close, bringing his arms around the slim figure to rest there comfortably. She didn’t flinch, but was surprised by the gesture, quick to recover and return the hug.

Skout closed her eyes. Something about the feminine grip the nomad had when they were hugging, or the warmth that seemed to just radiate off of him and give her a feeling of comfort. Something about that particular moment, in the middle of the night, on the outskirts of the Oasis, swaddled in the embrace of a wanted…

He wasn’t a criminal. He was a friend.

The two of them pulled away from the hug, but Skout let her hands trail down the nomad’s arms, holding his hands in her own. She rose them up so they were just beneath her chin, and she smiled, looking deep within the two white eyes staring back at her. “I’m with you, friend.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “It’s just so… excitin’, but I’d be lyin’ if I said I wasn’t nervous,” Skout just laughed, to which the Nomad responded by tilting his head to the side inquisitively. “I mean, I’ve never done nothin’ rebellious before, and this is… this is a whole new thing. I can only imagine the look on the Don’s face when he finds out that I ain’t in my quarters, and you ain’t in your cell! I almost wish I could see it.”

The Nomad was the first to wake under the morning sky, painted with lights speckled freely like so many eyes and faded by the salmon light radiating from the eastern horizon. He remembered how the ginger with the sweet Southern accent had helped him escape, and how she’d come with him, but he was still just as surprised to see her comfortably asleep on the sand next to him.

And he remembered another time, with another girl, one he couldn’t remember the name of. Her hair was redder than Skout’s and she laid peacefully on the sand, breath rising her chest up and floating it back down as the early morning light bathed her sleeping form with golds and oranges that framed her as angelic. He smiled to himself, reaching out towards her, but when he blinked, the scenery changed, and he was in the same pink-champagne light with Skout, retracting his hand and gazing at it with confusion.  _ Why now? Why here? _

Stirring awake, Skout stretched her arms up and above her head, sighing with grace. When she opened her eyes to the sky, brimming with dimmed stars in the early light, she panicked. It  _ definitely _ wasn’t her quarters, and it wasn’t until she looked over at the Nomad, who was glancing back at her with concern, that she remembered exactly what happened.  _ I’m with you, friend. _

He reached a hand out, but ended up recycling the gesture into facing his palms upwards, then pointing towards her. “Yea, I’m alright, jus’ forgot where I was for a secon’.”

The Nomad nodded. He knew what that was like.

Skout propped herself up to lean against the boulder behind them, ruffling her hands through her hair before looking back at the Nomad. “It’s just so…  _ excitin’ _ , but I’d be lyin’ if I said I wasn’t nervous,” Skout just laughed, to which the Nomad responded by tilting his head to the side inquisitively. “I mean, I’ve never done nothin’ rebellious before, and this is… this is a whole new thing. I can only  _ imagine _ the look on the Don’s face when he finds out that I ain’t in my quarters, and you ain’t in your cell! I almost wish I could see it.”

The Nomad’s shoulders bounced airily, in a gesture that showed that he found what she said humorous. He hesitated--would his gestures be enough?--but settled on pressing his palms together, nodding his head in gratitude.

Thankfully, Skout seemed to get the message. “Well, it’s no problem!”

The Nomad held up a finger, then brought his hands parallel to his shoulders, shrugging and tilting his head to the side. A slightly more complex question, but after a few seconds, Skout seemed to understand.

“Oh. Why? Is that what you’re askin’?” The Nomad nodded, letting his arms drop into his lap while Skout turned her gaze up in thought. “Well… I’m not really sure. I woke up in the middle of the night ‘cause I felt like somethin’ was missin’...” Skout smiled, letting her eyes fall to the Nomad. “Or, to say it better, I felt like the  _ world _ was missin’ out on somethin’.”

The Nomad bounced his shoulders with laughter again, but Skout’s smile fell into a frown at that. She wasn’t making a joke.

“Friend, I just don’t think you’re like they make y’out to be. I really don’t believe you’re a bad person,” Skout continued, lacing her fingers together and turning her gaze to her intertwined hands. “All the things them folks ramble ‘bout’cha mean nothin’ to me, it just… doesn’t seem like the kinda stuff you’d do. You’re kind, and ev’ry time we’ve talked--or, well, met--you’ve been nothin’ but sweet. I see what you do for the folks that don’t know o’ your bounty, and even if they  _ do _ know o’ your bounty, you don’t hurt ‘em, even in defense! Then you turn aroun’ and instead try to help those hurtin’!”

“You really do help people, y’know,” The Nomad shrugged his shoulders up again, turning his head down and to the side. Skout lifted her hand tentatively and rested it on the Nomad’s arm--carefully, as if it could shatter at any moment, as if even one wrong movement could unravel the fragile outer shell the Nomad had adopted to stay safe on the run. “You’ve helped lots’a people that I know of, and, well, I can’t imagine you’d do anythin’ knowin’ you could hurt someone.”

The Nomad waved his other hand by his wrist, eyes squinted to show that he was smiling. Or, at least, that he wanted to be smiling. He didn’t know if she knew what she was saying, or if… or if she meant it.

”Well, even if  _ you _ don’t think it’s much,” Skout continued, completely misinterpreting the gesture. It happens. “It’s a big deal to me. Hell, you saw how Don Paragon and all’a them up at the Oasis were treatin’ me, and you could’ve just left, but you encouraged me to get me away from ‘em---somethin’ I mightn’t’a had the guts to do myself elsewise,” Skout smiled broadly. “I just… I don’t believe you can be as bad as they say y’are.”

Even though the Nomad nodded with appreciation, something deep inside of him knew that he shouldn’t be accepting that compliment. He wasn’t sure why, but his gut feeling told him that she was wrong about him.

Once the sun had fully woken up, departed from the east and beginning its journey westward, the two set off. They travelled side-by-side, shadows acting as an elongated, warped version of their conscience, burdened to hold all of the things they couldn’t afford to admit to themselves. Much ground lie between their travelling feet and where their destination’s roots were planted--wherever it was they were going--and the only noises to be heard were their steps in the sand and the gentle sounds of the wind coasting through distant rock formations. It was comfortable, travelling with somebody, even in silence. The Nomad could now admit without hesitation that he preferred real, human companionship to evoked life in an inanimate object.

The place they visited was a small but bustling town, filled with many excited and isolated individuals who were happy to welcome Skout and the Nomad… until a paranoid barkeep faked an unkind and hurtful rumor to the sheriff, who politely requested that the two of them leave.

And so they kept on, one boot in front of the other, tracks fading behind in the gentle desert breeze and leaving no trace, as if they’d never been there. They kept on this way until nightfall--when the sun had blessed the desert with its gentle, creamy orange hues once more, enchanting the atmosphere in a language best understood by those in touch with the sands and the earth.

Skout and the Nomad had found a place to sleep for the night in a rather large and complex cave, even though they kept to the cavern closest to the outdoors. It wasn’t the most comfortable, but they’d heard rumor that a sandstorm might pass them by overnight, so they did the best with what they had.

That night, as a few echoing sounds too many lured Skout from her sleep, she saw the Nomad restlessly tossing about. His gestures were too simple, too small, and too vague to tell exactly what it was he was dreaming of, but what of his face Skout could see was pained, angry, and… sad.

The glowing lines that were his closed eyes widened and shifted to meet Skout’s gaze, staring until Skout had gathered it in herself to say something. “...Are you alright?”

She didn’t know what she expected him to respond with, but the Nomad looked out towards the entrance of the cave and the endless desert that lie beyond it, lifting his shoulders and drooping them back down in place of a shrug. She wanted to ask, but instead, she knew that what the Nomad needed right then was a hug.

He wasn’t expecting it, and his body tensed at the contact, but his heart gave in and he drew his arms around her, closing his eyes to breathe out a sigh. Whether or not he felt like he deserved a hug didn’t seem so important right then.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Skout wanted to say something. She wanted to approach Toth with a smile and tell her that she was sorry, that she was needed elsewhere, that it couldn’t be helped. But she couldn’t, and she knew that. However close they might’ve been, Skout could guess that Toth wouldn’t hesitate to get the bounty for the Don, and she didn’t know if she’d be able to cope with the fact if Toth brought her in.

The days flipped by like the abstract symbolism of footprints in the sand--fleeting and blurred into one as time advanced into the haze of the sunset.

When Skout first saw Toth asking people about her around town, the realization that she was most likely wanted for escaping with the Nomad sunk in like cinder blocks tied to her chest. If it wasn’t real before that moment, she now knew for certain that there was no going back… even if she wanted to.

Skout wanted to say something. She wanted to approach Toth with a smile and tell her that she was sorry, that she was needed elsewhere, that it couldn’t be helped. But she couldn’t, and she knew that. However close they might’ve been, Skout could guess that Toth wouldn’t hesitate to get the bounty for the Don, and she didn’t know if she’d be able to cope with the fact if Toth brought her in.

So she and the Nomad strolled through town, keeping an eye for the dandelions but smiling and pleasantly greeting the townsfolk that gave them a wave.

One thing seemed to lead to another, despite how careful they had been, and Skout had been steered away from the Nomad and straight into the jerking grip of someone  _ much _ more powerful than herself.

Skout thrashed, wild hair bouncing around so she couldn’t see who was taking her aside. “Hey! Lemme go!”

“Skout! Skout, it’s me,” The stranger said softly.

“Wh—“ Skout used her free hand to move her hair out of her face, furrowing her brows and attempting to subtly slip her arm away again. “Toth! What’s going on?”

“Don’t freak out, I’m not going to arrest you,” Toth warned, “I want to talk.”

“Wha-- whad’ya mean you ain’t gonna arrest me’?” Skout lowered her voice, somehow aware that the interaction they had was meant to stay away from prying eyes. “Ain’t I wanted now or somethin’? What’re you doin’?”

“I had to ask,” Toth let go of Skout, trusting that she wouldn’t run off. “Did you  _ really _ leave with the Nomad? By  _ choice _ ? It’s what people have been saying, and I find it hard to believe.”

“Yes, as a matter of fact, I did,” Skout crossed her arms. Despite the bold gesture, the nuances of her steady voice expressed a state of disassurance—some might even say shyness.

Toth squinted slightly, shifting so the sun was no longer shining in her face. “Why?”

“ _ Why? _ ” Skout echoed, cocking her head to the side. “That’s an awful broad question—whad’ya mean,  _ why _ ?”

“Why did you let him go?” Toth shook her head, furrowing her brows. “We spent so long trying to find him, and when we  _ found _ him, it took even longer to catch him. You were as dedicated to our mission as anyone else, so why let him go?”

Skout spent her breath looking up at the significantly taller woman without a hint of hesitation in her eyes, a fierce certainty she’d never have been able to muster had she continued as spittoon girl. “’Cause the world  _ needs _ him. I’m not sure why he’s wanted, but I can see that the poor fella does more good than harm.”

“That’s the thing, you’re not sure why he’s wanted,” Toth warned, “Don Paragon says he killed a man. More than one.”

“I… can’t believe that’s true,” Skout held firm, shaking her head and saying with continued decisive overtones, “That’s not true.”

“I’m telling the truth, Skout,” Toth said, eyebrows furrowing with worry. “Look, I just--”

”Y- no, y’know what, Toth?” Skout interrupted, speaking from the heart, filterless and brave, “I think I can see where this might go, if you’re still as caught up in gettin’ the nomad as you were before. If you’re tryin’a find the Nomad’s location or plans or whatever through me…”

Seeing Toth’s eyes reflect a certain tenderness she’d only seen once before made Skout stop. It wasn’t often that she… showed her emotions, expressed them, and here were the golden irises she looked up to showing clear, prominent, undeniable conflict.

Skout took a deep breath, expression softening into a sympathetic certainty she wished she didn’t have to wear. “If you wanna find ‘im, I’m ‘fraid you’ll have to beat it out of me.”

“Beat it out of you?” Toth echoed, furrowing her brows, shaking her head softly. “Skout…”

“‘Cause that’s the  _ only _ way you’ll find out,” Skout crossed her arms defiantly, regaining whatever spirit had temporarily left her and speaking with a striking confidence Toth had never seen her wear before. But fiercer than she imagined it might be. “Maybe not even then.”

“I’m not going to--look,” Toth sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “It’s dangerous for you to be around him, Skout, and we’ve figured that much out already. He’s unstable, but we can stop him  _ together _ . He trusts you, and that would make things  _ so much  _ easier for us! Don Paragon isn’t mad at you, a little frustrated at most, but if you came back--”

“I’m not coming back.” Skout narrowed her eyes, brimming with copious amounts of self-assurance she didn’t know she had. The Nomad was a good man, and she wouldn’t abandon him like that.  _ I’m with him. _ Besides, she found it hard to believe the Don wouldn’t be mad at her for helping someone they’d been tracking for decades, a  _ century _ , escape. And… she spoke it, so there was no going back now, if she wanted to change her mind. “The Nomad is  _ not _ like you said, and I ain’t about’a leave him for a group’a folks that treated me like  _ dirt _ .”

“I never meant to treat you like  _ dirt _ ,” Toth replied softly, almost automatically, laughing to fill the painful silence.

“Why’re you so hung up on this?” Skout let her arms fall, shifting her weight over, words catching in her throat before the mustered up the courage to tell Toth, “If you’re gonna arrest me, make your move. But I already told you, I ain’t tellin’ you  _ squat _ .”

“Because I lo--” Toth cut herself off with a slight laugh and shake of her head. It took her a moment to put together how to say what she needed to next, and Skout began to think… “Everyone back at the Oasis cares about you, we always have and never meant to make you feel poorly about yourself.”

“What were you gonna say? Before you cut yourself off,” Skout asked, expression softening. She thought she knew, and the thought of it made her cheeks just a little rosier, but she wanted to know if...

“It’s not important,” Toth’s face glowed with a lighter color, almost matching Skout’s, as she shook her head. ”Listen, Skout, at the Oasis, you had people who cared.”

Skout maintained eye contact, looking between the bright golden eyes that glanced back at her. “Well, you weren’t one of them, were you?”

“I saved your life!” Toth defended.

“And you ignored me thereafter!” Skout snapped, “I was  _ invisible _ to you, all the way up until I got outta there!”

“What has the Nomad ever done for you?” Toth narrowed her eyes, shifting the topic without a hint of subtlety. ”You don’t need to be wasting your time on that! Do you think he actually  _ cares _ for you?”

“I do,” Skout narrowed her eyes to mirror Toth, “He does.”

“He’s manipulating you!” Toth shook her head, face flushing with a gentle red. “Nothing good can come out of sticking with the Nomad. It’s best for everyone if he’s behind bars, and we need you back.”

“What’d ya mean, _need_ _me_ _back_? I’m just a spittoon girl, ain’t those ten cents a dozen up there?” Skout shook her head, emphasizing the crossing of her arms with a heavy shrug of her shoulders. “I re _fuse_ to believe y’all actually cared about me. Why’re you only showin’ it _now_ , once I’ve left and gone?”

“Because I love you!” Toth spat, face scrunched up and eyes shut for fear of the reaction she might see. “I love you, Skout, and I’ve done some pretty terrible things and treated you poorly and I shouldn’t have, because now you’re gone, and I don’t want to lose you for good. That’s what I wanted to say earlier.”

Silence. Loud and quiet, deafening but maddening. When Toth had drawn up the courage inside of herself to breathe and open her eyes, her heart broke to the sight of Skout in tears.

When their eyes met, Skout laughed, looking away to wipe her eyes with the palm of her glove, mumbling to herself, “Such a dunderhead…”

Toth reached out, arms wavering outstretched, before Skout stepped forward and fell into Toth’s embrace. Held tightly in her arms, for just a moment, Skout pretended she could have an ending with Toth.

“You can’t come back,” Toth said softly, almost seeming to peer into Skout’s fantasy, darkening it with the raincloud of reality. “Don Paragon is furious. He— he told me to lie to you, so that you’d give the Nomad up.”

An air of dread fell between them as each realized independently that there was nothing that could be done, except to take a moment longer in each others’ embrace 

“Toth…” Skout whispered, swallowing the lump in her throat, choking back the words that wanted to be said along with the tears that wanted to fall.

“I know.” Toth leaned down, pressing their foreheads together and breathing a deep breath. “Get out of town. Go North, that’s the last place we’ll check.”

Toth stepped backwards, and Skout nodded, unable to find words within herself to say what she needed to say.

As she watched Toth walk away, slowly, without looking back, she struggled to cope with the knowledge that they might never again meet on good terms. A deep and ragged breath came from deep within her chest, exhale painful as she blinked the tears from her eyes. It was only until Toth was around the corner, and well gone that she found herself able to murmur beneath her shaky breath, “I love you too.”

A gentle hand rested itself on her shoulder, and a small glance to the side told her that the red glove was the Nomad’s. “...You were listenin’?” She asked, wiping her eyes and making eye contact. He nodded softly, sympathetically, stories he wished he could tell and feelings he wished he could express hidden behind his scarf and stuck in his throat.

 

When night fell, Skout and the Nomad headed towards the rock formations on the edges of the horizon, seated next to them and watching the sedimentary layers stack up endlessly.

Skout started at the last shreds of light on the western horizon, eyes flickering with a bone-deep exhaustion that doesn’t come from walking.

The Nomad gently laid a hand against Skout’s shoulder, and she turned to look at him. He pressed his open palm to his chest with a deep breath, and a gesture to her.

“You know what it’s like?” The Nomad nodded. Skout just laughed sadly, leaning into his touch.

It didn’t matter where they’d go come morning, or what they’d experienced that day, or any day before this moment. Frozen in each others’ embrace, the night passed them by like a ballad written only for their ears.


End file.
